Brighton & Hove Open Door 2018 06-09 and 13-16 September PROGRAMME for Sunday 16th September 100+ FREE EVENTS celebrating the City’s heritage Contents SHOREHAM AND STEYNING Open and pre-book events Page 3 WALKS, TALKS AND TOURS Open and pre-book events Page 3 RELIGIOUS SPACES Open and pre-book events Page 5 FASHIONABLE HOUSES Open and pre-book events Page 7 INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL Open events Page 7 GARDENS, NATURE AND PARKS Open and pre-book events Page 8 ARCHITECTURE Pre-book events Page 8 GOVERNMENT AND CIVIC Open and pre-book events Page 9 About the Organisers Brighton & Hove Open Door is organised annually by staff and volunteers at The Regency Town House in Brunswick Square, Hove. The Town House is a grade 1 Listed terraced home of the mid-1820s, developed as a heritage centre with a focus on the city’s rich architectural legacy. Work at the Town House is supported by The Brunswick Town Charitable Trust, registered UK charity number 1012216. About the Event Brighton & Hove Open Door is always staged during September, as a part of the national Heritage Open Days (HODs) – a once-a-year chance to discover architectural treasures and enjoy tours and activities about local history and culture. The Town House team have participated in HODs since its inception in 1994. When using this guide, please note that we have set out the listings in 14 thematic categories and that within each category we have provided first the events that do not require pre- booking and then the venues and activities that do require booking*. Where booking is required, this can be done via www.rth.org.uk. We hope you find the thematic categories useful but do please bear in mind that they are somewhat arbitrary and you may find an event in an unexpected listing. This year we have a fabulous mix to our BHOD offer, including events related to our Profiles of the Past, MyHouseMyStreet and Here in the Past projects, the latter two of which will introduce you to the history and residents of local neighbourhoods. If you would like to assist us with the organisation of future Brighton & Hove Open Door events, if you would like to participate as a venue or activity organiser, or if you have suggestions for improvements, do please contact us via: The Regency Town House, 13 Brunswick Square, Hove, BN3 1EH, Tel. 01273 206306 / email: [email protected] Thanks During 2018 we have continued our efforts to establish Brighton & Hove Open Door into one of the city’s great annual celebrations. This year’s programme is testimony to the hard work of the many people involved in organising Brighton & Hove Open Door and we are grateful to them all, especially our Town House volunteers and the venue and activity organizers; who are giving so generously of their time. Nick Tyson, Curator, The Regency Town House * Please Note: Events that must be pre-booked, prior to attendance, can be reserved online at: http://www.rth.org.uk/BHOD18 Brighton & Hove Open Door – great days out for free! 2 SHOREHAM AND STEYNING No booking required St Julian’s Church, St Julian’s Lane, Kingston Buci, Shoreham-by-Sea St Julian's Church, St. Julians Lane, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 6YS St Julian’s church is one of the oldest and most interesting in Sussex. Although we don’t know exactly how long there has been a church on this site, we do know that there has been a significant settlement at Kingston Buci for centuries St Julian's Church is a flint building with stone dressings, and consists of a nave with a north aisle, chancel and central (but partly offset) tower. The chancel and tower are the same width, and there are no transepts. The walls of the nave survive from the 11th century, and the rebuilding work of the 13th century appears not to have changed the proportions of the rest of the church. Although the aisle was rebuilt in the 19th century, its large arches—described by Nikolaus Pevsner as "beautifully proportioned"—remain from the 13th century, when it was originally built St Julian's Church is listed at Grade I Opening Times - 6 -9 September: 1000-1600, 13-16 September 1000-1600 SHOREHAM AND STEYNING Booking Required Steyning, Saxons and their Saint Meet, statue opposite St. Andrew's & St. Cuthman's , Vicarage Lane, Steyning, W Sussex, BN44 3YL A walking tour through the picturesque town of Steyning. Established by the time of the Saxon saint, St. Cuthman, Steyning was once an economic powerhouse of the early Middle Ages. We hear about the town's significance, and what role it played in William the Conqueror's decision to invade England in 1066! We enjoy the historic buildings and hear how this once harbour town's fortunes changed with the silting up of the River Adur, as it was left high and dry! Though the centuries, the history of Steyning has continued to reflect that of the country as a whole; notably the events surrounding an arrest one dark October night in Brighton and which came to a shocking and violent conclusion in Steyning months later . One of the most famous love affairs of the Victorian age, a scandal to rock the establishment and with political consequences which remain to this day, saw the couple elope from their home in Hove to avoid the waiting press, and speed their way to Steyning and married life. On Sunday parking is free at both the nearby Steyning Centre car park and the High Street car park (5mins walk). We will finish on the High Street (BN44 3RD). The tour 1h 45m (approximately). Opening Times - Sunday 16 September: 1100 - 1245 Booking required via: http://www.rth.org.uk/bhod18 WALKS, TALKS AND TOURS No booking required The Aubrey Beardsley Tour Meet: W H Smith's bookshop on the concourse of Brighton Station, Queens Road, BN1 3XP Join guide Alexia Lazou for a gentle 90-120 minute stroll through Brighton, exploring the buildings and places associated with the early life of artist Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898). Aubrey Beardsley was famous for his innovative black and white illustrations. This year marks the 120th anniversary of Beardsley's death at the tragically early age of twenty-five. The tour concludes with an optional visit to The Yellow Book cafe/bar on York Place. 3 Opening Times - Sunday 9 September: 1400 – 1600, Sunday 16 September: 1100 - 1300 Beanfields to Bohemia Walk - North Laine Meet at Brighton Museum Entrance, Pavilion Gardens, Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, BN1 3XE Join local historian Dr Geoffrey Mead for a 2-hour stroll through the streets of the North Laine conservation area looking at aspects of historical and contemporary interest. Starts promptly. Children welcome when accompanied by an adult. • Opening Times - Sunday 16 September: 1000 - 1200 Brighton’s Hidden Gem - West Hill Meet at church doorway, St. Nicholas Church, Church Street, Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, BN1 3LJ West Hill is a quiet suburban area which grew rapidly in the 19th century; we look at this hidden gem of the city landscape. Near the Seven Dials is Brighton’s secret gem - West Hill. Join local historian Dr Geoffrey Mead for a stroll through narrow twittens and grand buildings, great views and hidden gardens. Opening Times - Sunday 16 September: 1300-1500 Down on the Border: Norfolk Square Norfolk Square bus stop, Western Road, Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, BN1 2AA Norfolk Square with Dr Geoffrey Mead Norfolk Square lies on the former Brighton & Hove parish border. This walk weaves to and fro through the borderland between seafront and Western Road, a landscape of grand architecture and the ‘Zone in Transition’ Opening Times - Sunday 16 September: 1600-1800 WALKS, TALKS AND TOURS Booking Required Warleigh Road & Environs Meet in Shaftesbury Place outside London Road Station (Ditchling Rise side), Brighton, BN1 4QS An hour’s walk on tree-lined streets of Victorian housing shaped by the railway’s housing need and immortalised in song. Both a nineteenth century royal wedding and market gardening have left echoes and imprints on the social history of the neighbourhood defined for many by St. Saviour’s Church. From paving stones to roof tiles the local houses have stories to tell of changing fortunes, stories of heroes and story-tellers, and gossip of villainous murder. Join local resident Maire McQueeney for a pleasant stroll. Opening Times - Sunday 16 September: 1100-1200 Booking required via: http://www.rth.org.uk/bhod18 4 RELIGIOUS SPACES No booking required All Saints’ Church, Patcham All Saints Church, Church Hill, Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, BN1 8YE Come and visit our 12th Century church with its beautiful stained-glass windows, fascinating Doom Painting, medieval memorial and gravestones in beautiful Patcham Village. Refreshments will be available in the Church Centre. The present church has a history dating back to Saxon times, (possibly as early as the 700s). There are striking similarities with other Sussex Downland churches nearby, such as Pyecombe and Clayton, in terms of construction and overall design. It is built in flint which was widely used for building construction in Sussex in the middle ages, with sections of the present building dating from as early as the 12th century. All Saints was listed as Grade 2* in 1952 and is the Parish Church of Patcham. In the nave of the church and positioned over the chancel arch is a rare 13th century Last Judgement or Doom Painting, whitewashed over at the time of the purges of the Reformation then rediscovered during renovations in 1880-1883.